The story behind the name of 7 Cups of Tea...
It's froma Tang Dynasty poet Lu Tong in ancient China. He was tasting a new tea gift from his friend. The tea tasted so good that he drank 7 cups in a row, each cup giving him a new level of feeling. After that, he improvised a poem. The English translation of the poem by Christopher Nelson is excellent,as excerpted on the FAQ page, which is copied below:
"
7 Cups of Tea, by Lu Tong (795 - 835 CE)
The first cup kisses away my thirst,
and my loneliness is quelled by the second.
The third gives insight worthy of ancient scrolls,
and the fourth exiles my troubles.
My body becomes lighter with the fifth,
and the sixth sends word from immortals.
But the seventh?oh the seventh cup?
if I drink you, a wind will hurry my wings
toward the sacred island.
Translated by Christopher Nelson
"
What was not shown here, is the last 2 sentences following that "sacred island" one. They go like this (please pardon my poor translation skills):
"
The gods on the sacred island wouldn't know the bitter lifeof the thousands of tea farmers, whorisk their lives hanging over cliffs to pick tea leaves! Let me go ask them about the destiny of these people, to see if they will rest in peace in the end?
?
Therefore, the poet showed deep sympathy for the poor in the end.
Thank you for reading this.
@lavenderPerson5448, now we're only called 7 Cups, but I always like to come back to this poem. Thank you for posting it with the missing verses - it definitely gets a bit heavier with them ^^; Best wishes!